The Villages is one of the safest towns of its size in the world. If you follow the daily crime reports, you may note that there is virtually no crime in The Villages. The closest we come to crime is mostly shoplifting, and most of that is done by people who don’t live here but use the stores on the outskirts. I don’t know why people bother to put in alarm systems or carry concealed weapons. Completely unnecessary here.
Yes, The Villages is 70% red and 30% blue. Yes, plenty of people are very upset about the looting and arson and destruction of public and private property they see on television. Plenty of them associate the BLM excesses with most African-Americans, which is unfair. However, in my experience, even the most rabid red fans would NEVER harm a polite older woman or man of any color and would go out of their way to help and protect her or him if she or he were in need. If she or he is a neighbor, even more so. I’ve noticed over and over that in America, bias against a group does not usually extend to people we know and like and don’t fear.
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Originally Posted by oranginauk
I had heard of The Villages, America’s Friendliest Hometown. With wonderful homes and great facilities and activities. Surely a place to make new friends, to smile, laugh and enjoy. A retirement I always dreamed of. So I checked it out and moved here four years ago.
As a single woman of color, I felt safe. I have made friends, joined in activities, volunteered and indeed I felt safe in America’s Friendliest Hometown. Then it happened, one group against the other. Videos going viral, a man yelling “white power”, faces and voices full of hate. I began to question .... Has this incident invited white supremacists to The Villages? People seek out to live where there are like minded people.
The country is frantic now and I am afraid. All it takes is a single fuse to light a fire. I urge you to think before you speak.
Please do not destroy “ America’s Friendliest Hometown”. Please help me feel safe again.
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